Clinton denies presidential ambition

New York Senator Hillary Clinton has denied any intention of running for the White House herself, either next year or in 2008.

09 Jun 2003 11:38 GMT

Senator Clinton will not run forpresidency in 2004 or 2008

Responding to the question in a television interview, Clinton made it clear she would leave the Democratic nomination in 2004 to the nine contenders vying for the presidency.

But with none of them expected to beat President George Bush, some Democrats, according to the New York Times, have been looking to Clinton’s popularity to revive the party's fortunes.

"I'm flattered that the question gets asked ... and I hope that it will lead to a woman running for president, and we have a lot of good women," she said, but affirmed her intention to be re-elected as New York’s senator in 2006.

Selling autobiography

In a separate interview with Time Magazine, the former first lady publicised her new book of memoirs.

Living History, a book that has already netted Clinton an $8 million advance fee, is being released on Monday, with the publishers printing a million copies in anticipation of demand.

Clinton: Enjoying her time assenator

The opening lines begin: “I wasn't born a first lady or a senator. I wasn't born a Democrat. I wasn't born a lawyer or an advocate for women's rights and human rights. I wasn't born a wife or mother. I was born an American in the middle of the 20th century, a fortunate time and place.”

It covers the time when she and President Clinton were accused of financial fraud and his relationship with a White House intern - which led to an impeachment in the House of Representatives.

"I was beside myself with anger and disappointment," she wrote, "as a wife, I wanted to wring Bill's neck."

In a televised interview on the US channel ABC about the book, Clinton was asked if she still believed there had been "a vast right-wing conspiracy" against her husband.

"I would say that there is a very well-financed right-wing network of people. It's not really conspiracy because it's pretty much out in the light of day - that was after his presidency from the very beginning."

The publisher, Simon and Schuster, expects the book to be a runaway best-seller.